Centrifugal apparatus



GENTRIFUG'AL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5. 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet l Pq l l lYAM/WM July 2, 1929. E. ROBERTS CENTRIFUGAL `APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5.1926 8 Sheets-Sheet Jly 2', 1929. E. RQBERTS l 1.719.132

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5. 1926 s sheets-sheet 5 July 2, 1929.

E. ROBERTS CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5', 1926 8 Sheets-Shet 4 E.ROBERTS 1,719,132

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 l i 1 l l i ll l l 1 l l l l l /1 l Z JJQWMMM@ July 2, 1929.

Juy 2, M929.. E, ROBERTS 1,719,132

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 \W VIII/l mJuly 2, 1929.

E. ROBERTS CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 192sl a sheets-sheet 8mit Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.Y

EUGENE ROBERTS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN STATES MA-CHINE COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, 4 A. CORPORATION 0F UTAH.

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS.

Application led November 5, 1926.

rl`his invention relates to the centrifugal refining or purification ofsugar or similar material, and is intended to provide a centrifugalapparatus so constructed and organized as to eliminate large losses orWaste of material resulting from previous practice in thisl field, andat the saine time to effect a great economy of labor attendance bymaking it practicable for an operator to attend to a larger number ofeentrifugals, each of them operating more efficiently than under thepractice heretofore prevailing.

The function of the centrifugal in sugar mills or refineries is torecover the solid r grains or crystals by separating therefrom both thefree syrup, with which the grains are mingled, and the adhesive coatingof syrup on the grains themselves. The elimination of the free syrup iseffected by throwing it off eentrifugally through a surroundingfiltering wall constructed to retain the solid crystals in thecentrifugal basket, While allowing the liquid syrup to pass through thewalled-up sugar and the filter and out of the perforated basket Wallinto a suitable collector or receptacle, all under the action ofcentrifugal force.

The separation of the syrup coating adhering to the crystals is effectedby spraying extends inward from the peripheral Wall approximately fiveor six inches.

The second operation is purging the sugar which is effected by turningon the full power of the centrifugal drive, thus accelerating the speedas fast as the machine can pick up speedfrom its drivingv connect-ion,thus centrifugally extracting the free syrup.

Third, the Washing spray is then brought into action and is directedagainst the inside.

surfacgA of the Walled-up ring 'of sugar through which the Water isdriven by cen- Serial No. 146,433,

trifugal force to wash ofi the adhesive coating of syrup on the solidsugar crystals.

The fourth operation is the drying of the sugar after the Water is Vshutofi' by continu- 1ng-thc high speed of the rotation until the grams ofsugar have reached the requisite degree of dryness.

Fifth in order comes the brakingor slowing down of the machine by theapplication of the brake to a low speed, permitting the discharging orunloading of the sugar.

Sixth comes the discharging or unloading effected by means of a suitabledischarging plow which cuts down the Walled up purified sugar and allowsit to fall through the central outlet-opening in the bottom of thebasket through which the sugar is discharged or unloaded upon a carrierwhich conveys it directly to the granulator. l

Heretofore, in actual practice, all these operations, except the actualduration of the spraying or washing operation, have been controlled anddirected by the operator with two very serious resultant disadvantages.In the first place, there was no uniformity or precision in determiningthe duration of the different steps in the cycle even by the sameoperator, and this resulted in much Waste of sugar besides producing, attimes, serious trouble in the operation of the machine, often resultingin serious and sometimes fatal injury to the operator.

I have found,l by actual test, that every pound of Wash Water sprayedupon the sugar-Wall carries off, in solution, about three pounds ofsugar. If the spray is started too soon, that is, before the free syruphas been extracted, the Water mingles With the syrup, thereby losing itsWash-ing efficiency and requiring the use of considerable additionalwater on the sugar. On the other hand, if the spray be started too latethe coating of syrup on the sugar crystals becomes hardcned bythecentrifugal drying action of the basket rotating-at high speed, andthus requires the application of a larger amount of Water to soften thishardened coating and remove it from the sugar grains. Furthermore, ifthe drying opera-tion, after Washing, isycontinued a little too long thesugar becomes packed so hard that it may smash the discharger digginginto it With disastrous consequences not only to the a )paratus butoftentimes to the attendant. n the other trifugal, the excess moisturewill adversely affect the granulating process which, to produce asatisfactory product, should receive the sugar at a uniform degree ofdryness.

In short, there are just two operations or steps in the centrifugalcycle-that can advantageously be controlled by the operator, namely, thecharging or loading of the wet sugar, and in the use of a fiat botto'mbasket the discharging or unloading of the purified sugar. As to allother steps the lack of uniformity and precision in the control exertedat will by the operator is highly wasteful and injurious, and has beenla prolitic source of loss and damage. Furthern'iore, by providing areally efficient and absolute-i' ly reliable control of all steps in thecycle, except the loading and unloading, there is effected a verysubstantial saving in the number of attendants required for a battery ofmachines, it being possible, with my improved apparatus, for theoperator to carei for double the number of centrifugals he hasheretofore operated with far more satisfactory results in the uniformquality of the product, and in the vastly greater economy of material.

Y Even -the operation of braking or slowing down the machine to a lowenough speed to permit the vuse of a discharger secures a uniformdura-tion of the braking period,

`sincelthe brake shoes are set by automatically-acting spring tensionwhich can be adjusted to secure any desired uniform period of durationfor this operation and a uniform speed.

Since the duration of the various operations constituting the cycleshould be varied for different grades of sugar or other material, Ihave) made simple and convenientprovision for regulating or adjustingthe controlling means so as to make possible such variations intheduration of any of the operations constituting the parts of the cycle tobest Suit the natuie of the material bein'g treated, and this also formsan important feature of my invention.

Heretofore the only practical and successful regulation and controlexercised in centrifugal machine practice has been applied in practiceonly to regulate the duration of the washing period by such anautomatically controlled Washing apparatus such for eX- ample, as thatset forth in United States Patent 1,224,095, issued jointly to myselfand Angus H. Gibson.

I am aware that it has also been proposed to operate centrifugalmachines continuouslyrat o erating speed with associated mechan ism orloadingwashing and unloading the continuously rotating basket, butt-hese proposals, although suggested many years ago, have never goneinto practical use nor are they capable of practical use, artly becausesuch continuous operation ofjcentrifugal machines does not meet therequirements of the art and partly because, in order to effect theautomatic loading and in the case of a fiat bottom basket, the unloadingof the basket, which is not desirable anyway, such arrangement andconstruction of eentrifugal has been adopted as to make its operationquite impracticable for other reasons. Furthermore, none of these paperproposals or suggestions have any provision for varying the duration ofsuch parts of the cycle of operations as theyare supposed to control.For various reasons, therefore, there has not been developed anypractical system or means for properly controlling and regulating theoperation of centrifugal machines automatically, and I believe that I amthe first in the art to provide practicable operative means foreffectively accomplishing the automatic control and regulation of thevarious steps in the treatment of the sugar in centrifugal purification.

In general my invention comprises in. combination with a gyratorycentrifugal and its driving means, a starting lever operativelyassociated With a time-controlling mechanism, a sprayer and an automaticbrake so as to determine successively the duration of the purgingoperation, the starting and stopping of the washing operationthereafter, the drying of the sugar for a predetermined period and thebraking action for a predetermined period for the purpose of slowingdown and automatically stopping the machine. My invention also consistsin providing means by which the different periods of operation, from thetime of charging to the time of unloading the machine, may be varied tosuit the requirements of the particular grade of sugar being treated. Myinvention further consists in Such construction and arrangement of partsas are hereinafter described and defined in the claims annexed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a specific form ofconstruction and arrangement of the co-acting starting and controllingmeans embodying the principles of this invention, in association lwith agyratory centrifugal machine, shown more orl less diagrammaticallywithout unnecessary illustration or description of details ofconstruction already Well understood in the art.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a.

suspended overhead driven gyratory centrifugal machine equipped with theapparatus for automatically controlling and timing its Figure 3 is adetail view in side elevation of the starting-lever removed from itssupporting frame. A l

Figures 4 and 5 are detail views representing, respectively, a frontelevation .and a side elevation of the releasable latch orshoe thatprevents the return of the starting lever from high speed positionduring the purging, washing and drying operations.

Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the main starting and stoppinglever in association with its actuating spr-ing `and the timer-startingconnection.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing this spring and a'portion of thestarting and,

stopping lever and its interconnection with the automatic brake andtwo-speed electric switch.

Figure 8 is -a side elevation on an enlarged scale of the spraying andtiming apparatus as viewed by the operator in front of the machine. i

Figure 9 is a front elevation of the 'same in a plane at right angles toFigure 8.

Figure 10 is an elevation of the spraying and timing mechanism as seenfrom the opposite side to that shown in lFigure 8.

Figure 11 isa central vertical section` of the timer-actuating clutchand the timer wheels as viewed Vfrom the rear or in the oppositedirection tothe view of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is adetail sectional view in a plane at right angles to Figure.11 through the clutchshift.

Figure 13 is a plan view of the sprayer and timer.

Figure 14 is a plan view` showing the rock-shaft connections by whichthe spray is started and later cut off.

Figure 15 is a side elevation of the releas able latch shown in positionto prevent the closing of the valve of the sprayer.

The improvements claimed in the present application are in the nature ofan improvement on, or a modification of, the invention set forth in mycopending application, Serial No. 74,111, filed Dec. 8, 1925.

Before describing the details of the spe- \cific form'of apparatusillustrating my invention shown in the drawings, I will indicate thegeneral plan of operation in order that such details may be more readilyunderstood. y

In the form illustrated, control is applied to a gyratory centrifugal ofwell known type embracing a separat-orl basket m, surrounded by asyrup-collecting curb or casing, c, the basket being secured to thelower end of a gyratory rotary shaft b, whose upper portion b isenlarged for the reception of rotary bearing elements` in accordancewith practice now well known. Secured to and extending upwardly aroundtheenlarged portion b of the rotary basket-shaft, is a brake pulley dwhose inside surface is fric tionally engaged by a pair of interiorbrake shoes g, arranged to be expanded outward into frictionalengagement withV the inside of the pulley. The centrifugal, comprisingthe separator basket,'and its rotary shaft are suspended. from a fixedsuspension hanger e, l

secured to overhead supporting beams f, in which hanger, the rotarybasket-shaft is sus pended in any suitable manner to permit gyrationagainst yielding resistance, according to any suitable or well-knownpractice. As this mode of suspension is well known in the art, and isnot the subject of the present improvement, illustration and description of the' details are omitted.

In the form illustrated, the centrifugal is driven through the overheadaxially aligned driving shaft zl of an overhead eleetric motor, notshown herein, which is energized through a double switch to drive thecentrifugal at low speed and at high speed during different stages inthe cycle of opera tion.

Starting with the empty centrifugal at rest, the attendant throws thestarting lever to low speed position and admits the load of wet sugarinto the basket in the usual manner, this loading requiring but a fewseconds. On completing the loading the lever is then shifted to highspeed position, thereby start-ing both the purging operation and theaction of the automatic control mechanism by which all subsequentoperations are guided ,and controlled until 1the sugar is purified andready to discharge.

The starting lever is returned to idle position by a coiled tensionspring which yields when the lever is manually ladvanced to low speedand to high speed positions, respectively, provi'sion being made by anautomatic latch or dog to lock the lever in high speed position toprevent its return until released by the automatic control.

There are also connections leading 'from this main lever to thecentrifugal brake shoes and to the switch knife, associated /With thelowspced and high speed motor circuits, whereby the brake, which isautomatically set by a tension spring, is kept released or out ofcontact with the brake pulley, but is set when the lever is auto-`matically released and returned to neutral or idle position.

The automatic tuner-control ,is started in operation by the throwing ofthe main lever to high speed position. The timer mechanism containsthree separate and independently adjustable timing members, one of whichstarts the sprayer in action after a predetermined period of purging,the second df whichl stops the-sprayer after any desired period ofwashing, and the third of which releases 4the timer clutch and `alsoreleases the main starting lever after a predetermined period of drying,and thereby effected. The action of the starting and stopping lever,hereinafter referredto as the main lever, will best be understood byreference to wFigures 1 to G'inclusive of the drawings. As shown inFigures 1 and 2, there is secured to one of the overhead supportingbeams f, to project out forwardly in front of the` centrifugal, aforwardlyextending web or bracket 3. On this bracket 3, together with acompanion bracket 3X, is mounted a fixed shaft 2, on the left hand endof'which is mounteda 4main lever 1, for which it affords fulcralsupport. The upper end of this lever l, extends above the fixed shaft 2,and carries an anchoring.

pin v8, to which is secured one end of a strong helical spring 9, coiledfreely around the fixed shaft. The other end of this spring is `anchoredto a pin 10, mounted in a circumferentially adjustable anchoring block10,l which is secured to a reduced end 2" of a fixed shaft to permitrota-tive adjustment of the block 10a. A set screw 1()b is used toretain the anchoring block in its different positions of circumferentialadjustment. The anchoring block is provided with Spanner holes l()c intowhich may be inserted the end of a rod or lever for securing the desireda ljustment: The supporting rod or shaft 2 is splined inthe bracket 3,

las shown at 2a in Figure 2 and, consel quently, by the rotativeadjustment of the tension-adjusting'member or block 10, any desireddegree of torsional strength may be given tothe spring 9, whosedirection of torsional stress is indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, andtends to return the main lever to idle position.

-The lower part of the supporting bracket 3 1s provided with an arcuaterunway formed between two arcuate ledges 3a and3", formed on the linnerface of the bracket 3, the center of curvature being `the ,center of thefulcral fixed shaft 2. In the upper ledge 3a ofthis runway are boredtwogstop apertures 4 and 5 which determine, respectively, the positionsof the main lever 1the former for neutral position and the latter forlow speed position. (lo-,operating with these stop `apertures or stopshoulders 4 and 5,' is a according to the position of the-main lever.Forwardlv of the stop recess 5 is a downwardly offset or projectingcontinuation of the upper ledge 3, as shown at 3". A pivoted hand grip 7adjacent the handle of the main lever, is pivota ly connected at 6, withthe reciprocating stop plunger 6, so that it` may be manually operated.It should be stated that in the position shown in Figure 2 the lever isin high speed position with the stop plunger 6, resting against theledge 3d and locked against return by a latch or dog 12, the details ofwhich will presently be explained. In this figure the radial line marked1' designates the position of the main lever when the apparatus is atrest and the brake is set against the brake pulley. -The radial line n,in which the plunger 6 may be locked by the stop shoulder or recess 4,is the neutral position of the lever in which the brake is released, butthe switch is not closed and no operation of any part of the apparatusoccurs. The radial line-s, shows the position in which the stop plunger6 interlocks with the recess 5, at which position thelmotor switch knifeis thrown into the low speed circuit when the operator is loading themachine, or it -may be when the o erator is discharging the machineafter t e spraying and drying operations have been finished and themachine has been slowed down.

Inasmuch as the main lever, in its high speed position as shownV inFigure2, is under heavy retractive tension from the helical spring 9, itmust be locked in that position to'prevent its return to idle position.'lhis locking ofthe lever' is accomplished by the `action of anautomatic dog orlatch 12. of

the form shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5. This dog is secured to a" fore andaft rock-shaft 13,' extending at right angles to the fixed shaft 2forming the fulcral support of the main lever, the latch beingtransversely bored at its upper end to receive said rockshaft or spindle13, and having an offset inward portion or arcuate shoe 12b laterallyoffset from the plane of the fulcralportion of the latch 12, with whichit is connected by the short connecting right angle arm '12% The latchspindle 13 is mounted in the fixed supporting frame 3. As the latch ordog 12 'is not intended to lock the main lever until T he latch spindle13, as shown best in Figure 6. is provided with a spiral or torsion'spring 14 whose torsional force is exerted in the direction of thearrow, Figure 6, to throw the latch in behind the stop or roller 3".carried by the main lever. vSecured to the latch spindle 13 is an arm15, having a series of pin holes 15a 'at different radial distances fromthe center to give the desired dcgre of throw or movement to a/connecting link 16, whose forked end 16% is attached to this arm 15 by aconnecting pin. The other end of this connecting link 16 is pivotallysecured to a rock-arm 17a, secured to a rock-shaft which, at its fartherend, is provided with a similar angularly disposed arm 17", into whichis hooked the upper end of the timer-connecting rod 1 by which the timermechanism isstarted in action when the main lever is thrown to highspeed position and by which, through the control of the timer, afterpredetermined periods, the main lever is released to return to idleposition and the brake setting mechanism is allowed to act automaticallyto slow down and stop the machine, all of which will be presentlyexplained- To prevent the automatic plunger 6 from engaging either ofthe stop recesses 43nd 5 on its automatic return to idle position,special controllingv dogs or latches 6, in the form of toggles pivotedon the centers 6, and having their outer ends interconnected by acontractile spring 6e, are employed. At their inner ends these toggleshave elongatedslots engaging a projecting stud or pin 6g, extendinglaterally from the plunger 6. When these toggle latches are swung abouttheir pivotal centers, from one side of the center to the other, theyact, by means of the slotted engagement with the pin 6g, to shift theplunger` 6 in one direction or the other. In straight alignment acrossthe plunger they are on the dead center. In the positions shown inFigures 2 and 3, these latches 'act to retain the-plunger 6 in its,inactive or retracted position and, obviously, if swung to the otherside of thedead center they will equally maintain `it in its activeposition to engage either the recess 4 or the recess 5, thereby lockingthe lever 1 in either neutral or lowfspeed position. "It will beobservedthat the runway between `the ledges 3 and 3", afford a passage orchannel through which the pin controllingr these latches or `dogs maytravel as the lever 1-swings to and fro, and also that the right handend portion of the lower ledge 3b, as shown at 3, is vflared or droppedaway from the circular arc i3", to forma cam-like, surface which willengage the pin 6F, on the plunger as the lever swings to the left andforce the to'ggles slightly beyond the dead-center position so that theyare exercising an upward thrust on the plunger. This does not occuruntil after the plunger, on the return --movement of the lever 1, haspassed the socket or recess 4 and, consequently, while the plunger cannot move far beyond the dead center posivtion, it is kept under tensionso that when the plunger is'y manually thrown to the right from theat-rest position 7', it will spring into the recess 4 automatically fromwhich it may be withdrawn by the hand-grip 7 when the operator desiresto shift the lever to low speedposition on the line Z.

The reason for providing a neutral position, inaddition to the low speedand high speed and inact-ive position of the lever, is to release thebrake and allow the centrifugal to run freely under its own momentum invcase the operator finds it desirable to do so for any reason, such asprolonging the unloading period. This neutral posit-ion will also beuseful when the apparatus is being washed down bythe operator forcleaning purposes. 4

I will now describe the connections leading from the main lever 1, tothe brake mechanism and the double circuit motor switch, these beingbest shown in plan view, Figure 7 On the inside face of the main lever 1is secured a stud or post 20, carrying a pivotal block 21,.to which ispivotally connected the forked end 22EL of a'rearwardly extendingconnecting rod 22, having, at its rear end, a fork 22", connected to apivot-block 23a on the end of an arm 23, secured to a verticalrock-shaft 24, depending from the fixed hanger e between the twoadjacent free ends of the brake shoes g to form a fulcral support forthe toggle links 26, 268,1which are pivotally connected to a disk orcollar 25, fulcrumed on the vertical spindle 24.

It will be understood that when the main lever 1 nieves to its rearrnostor idle position at 7', the brake-actuating arm 23 is rotated in aclockwise direction to powerfully expand the brake toggles 26, 26a andforce the brake shoes g, which are fulcrumed on a spindle at g, carriedby the hanger, into frictional or braking engagement with the interiorof the brake pulley d, which is secured to the enlarged upper endportion b of the basketshaft. When the brake lever is moved forward fromidle position it acts to immediately release and unseat the brake toleave' the centrifugal free to rotate both in neutral and in thetwo-speed driving positions.

Fulcrumed onthe brake spindle 24 is arm 27 Vwhich is connected, by meansofa link 27 a,- adjustable as to length by nuts, 27", with the electricswitch knife 28 which is provided with two separate terminals 28a forthe low speed and 28b for the high speed circuits of the driving motor.The low speed switch pole 28a is extended out beyond thel radial line ofthe high speed switch 28", the parts being so arranged and proportionedvthat the low speed terminal 28'a to close the low speed'circuit. Onfurther forward swinging of the .lever 1 to high speed position, theswitch'knife 28 will be moved further inward to engage also the highspeed terminal 28". The terminal 28c is common to both circuits. Inneutral position of the main le' ver the switch'is wide open, extendingoff to the right away-from both switch terminals. It will, therefore, beseen that both the centrifugal brake mechanism and the motor-controllingswitch are actuated through a common. actuating member so that the brakemust always be open when the switch is closed, and the brake may or maynot be set according to its adjustment toidle or neutral position whenthe switch is open. The adjustment of the heavy lever-actuating spring 9makes it possible to get any desired degrec of tension and,consequently, any desired degree of braking action so as to determinewith precision the rate of slowing down of the machine from highs d,preparatory to discharging the puri edsugar.

I will now describe the construction and operation of ,the automaticcontrolling .mechanism by which the time-control and regulation. of eachautomatically-controlled operation in the cycle is effected.

For convenience the timer mechanism o is mounted upon the sprayer im atthe right hand side of theI machine. The actuating drive for both thetimer and the sprayer, as shownin Figure 1, comprises a horizontaldrrvmg pulley30, carried at the end of a swinging arm 31, which isfulcrumed above the timer 0," and which is normally kept pressed againstthe exterior of the basketshaft b byr a contractile spring 31a ,(Fig.13). This arm is hollow and carries an interior horizontal transmissionshaft 32, having beveled gear connection at its outer end with thepulley 30, and at its innerv end with a vertical driving shaft 33, whichextends down into the timer and carries a cam 51 for oscillating thesprayer-actuating arm 50 wollch is supported upon said cam by a roller sthe details of constructionof the sprayer are not claimed herein as partof this invention, it will suffice, for present purposes, to state thatthe sprayer construction is very similar to. that shown -in LettersPatent granted me4 May 18, 1926 N o. 1,585,608, except that the sprayercontains no tlmmg mechanism as in that patent, but is under the controlof thel unified timer that exerts a common control over the operationsdescribed, except' loading and unloading. It lwill be understood thatthe vertical shaft 33, which drives both the timer mechanism and thesprayer is constantly running so long as the centrifugal is runninksince it is in constant drive connection with the basketshaft; hencethe cam 51, for oscillating the arm 50 of the sprayer, is always inoperation when the machine is in operation, but the nozzle itself is in`the form of afvertlcaliy 75 reciprocating pipe 54, having a connectingnipple at 54, for a flexible connecting hose 541 which is incommunication with the conduit 53 leading from the valve casing 53,

this flexible connection making it possible toy so give any desiredreciprocation to the spraypipe 54, which is mounted in bearings 55 ofanv adjustable bracket 55, secured to the sprayer casing m, by la screwand slot connection at 55C, as shown in Figure 8, by B5 which the pipemay be adjusted inwardly or outwardly inside-of the centrifugal basket.

TheN reciprocating spray pi e is provided-1 withia horizontal pin 55d, wich rests upon the outer end of the spray-actuating arm 50, .00

to give the desired ,degree ofreciprocation to the spray pipe which isperforated on the side toward the surrounding sugar wall, as indicatedin Figure l, to direct a fine spray against the adjacent inside wall ofthe b5 sugar, the spray openings being distributed to deliver the properquantity of water to different levels of the su ar wall.

. Since the oscillation o the' spray-pi e or -nozzle continues so longas the centri ugalloo is running, it is necessary to provide only forthe turning `,on of the spray at the proper stage in the cycle of thecentrifugal o rar tion and its shutting oil'` after a pre eterminedinterval. This is effected through `mechanism controlled by the' timerdevice mounted on top of the s pra er casing m. A rock-shaft 57 (Figs.8, 9 an 14), mounted in the sprayer casing, carries an arm 57,

'normally pulled in the clockwise direction 110 (Fig. 9) by a tensionspring 57", anchored to a tension adjustmentj screw 57. This rock-shaftalso" carries an arm 56", engaglng an eye or loop in the 4upper end ofthe valve 56 so that the tension of the spring 57b 115 presses the valvestem downward t9 keep the valve closed, while an upward movement of thearm 56 acts to open the valve by raising the valve stem. On the oppositeside of the shaft-57 projects a forked arm 58, having 120 pivotalconnection with a vertical latch or catch 60 whose lower end isconnected by means of a contractile spring 58, carried by a stud orscrew 58'L secured to the h ub of the arm 58 so that the tension of thespring tends 1521 to'draw in the lower end of the latch 60 andyieldingly move outward the upper end of the latch. The latch 60 isformed, near its u per end, with a shoulder or abutment 60,

a apted to thrust against the underside of a fixed stop lug or bar 61,carried by the frame of the timer o.

This latch, when the valve is closed by the spring 57h, 'has its stopshoulder 6()a normally spaced` some distance above the fixed.

stop 61. Near its upper end the latch carries a pivotal dog or-nger 60",adapted to be engaged by a projection 45 on a rot-at' r low thehorizontal; hence the downward -movement,4 of the swell or projection45d serves to depress or push down the latch 60 so that, when theshoulder 6()a comes below `the level of the stop 61, the contractilespring 58b swings the latch 60 into stop engagement with the fixed stopA61, in which.

position the valve stem is raised to open the valve and allow thesprayer to function.

Further rotation of the timer-shaft acts to release the latch from itsstop position and allow `it ,to return to uppermost position to letthevalve close. This is accomplished by means of a bell-crank arm 62, whosehorizontal member projects vout to be engagedv4 and depressed therevolving timer, and whose vertical arm carries a projecting pin 62a,adapted to strike against the outside face of the latch 60 and'- forcethe latch inwardly, thereby releasing the latch shoulder 60a fromengagement with the fixed stop 61.

The latch being s o released no longer prevents the spring 57" fromactuating the rockshaft 57 to shut 0H the water Ifrom the sprayer andnozzle. ,y

I will' now describe thev details of the' timer'mechanism` by which thevarious movements are controlled. Alongside of the Ishaft 33, drivenfrom its connection with the centrifugal machine-shaft, is a verticalYcoun'terlshaft 34, which has driving connectionfrom the shaft 33through speed-re ducing pinions 33a, 34 (Fig..8). The counter-shaft 34also ycarries Va worm 341 that intermeshes with a wormv 41? that:isloosely mounted on the horizontal timer shaft 43, (Fi .'1-1). -Alongone end of this timer sha t 431s mounted a Spanner head or nut 43, towhich is pinned a spiral spring 43", the outer end of which spring isanchored to a fixed pin 43, on the timer casing o, which permitsadjustment. of the spring tension as thelnut Iis turned one way'or theother. The other4 end of thetimer-shaft vcarries a 'circular head44jformed with three peripheral `spaces to receive three timer rings45,46 and 47,' each of which may be independently adjustedcircumferential-ily of the timer head. The respective rings carryperipheral swells or projections 45d, 46d andl 47d. The threecircumferentially adjustable 'timer rings are mounted on the spacebetween the inner face-plate 48" and the outer face-plate 48, which aresecured to opposite faces of the timerhead 44. The outer plate 48carries three bosses 48, at diiferent dis tances from the center, inwhich are mounted spring plungers 45, 46c and.47c,

to engage, respectively one of an annular series of holes 45", 46b and47, formed in the respective rings so that, when the plunger for anyring is retracted, the ring may be turned to any desired circumferentialposi tion of adjustment and the plunger released v'to allow it to spring'into locking engagement in one of the transverse holes of its ring tomaintain it in its adjusted position. The peripheral face of each timerring is provided with several radial holes or sockets 45, for theinsertion of a spannerwrench or rod for facilitating ythe adjustment ofthe different rings.

As .it is desired that the timer-shaft shall not be acting all the timethe centrifugal is running but only while the centrifugal is running athigh speed, its driving wormgear 411 is loose on the shaft and isoperativellyvconne'cted therewith by means of a slidable clutch 4pulley41, which is splined to the shaft 43.' Except at high speed, this splineclutch is out of engagement with the companion' clutch 41a, on theadjacent face of the worm-gear 41". The control of this clutch is bestshown in Figures 10 to 13. Above the timenshaft and atright anglesthereto is mounted a clutch-shaft or spindle 40, having splined to itsouter end a doubled arm or yoke-like lever 19h, carrying opposedsetserews-19c i-n line with an intermediate lever or arm 19 which isloosely fulcrumed on the clutch spindle 40. One end of this arm 19 `ispivotally connected by pivot-pin 18L with the connecting link 18, whichextends upwardly to the rockshaft 17, which is interconnected with themain lever 1, as above described. The other end of the lever 19 projectsacross the intermediate-timer-ring 46, in positionV to be engaged' bythe swell or projection 46d, on its intermediate ring. This constitutesthe knock-olf movement by which t-he connecting link 18 is pulleddownward by the timer mechanism so as to release the dog 12 that holdsthe main lever 1 in high speed position, and by this downward pull andrelease the main lever is allowed to swing back under its torsion springto idle position at the same time setting the brake.

It will be observed that the knock-oil' arm 19,-instead` of beingconnected directly to the clutch spindle 40, upon which it is looselymounted, is connected operatively therewith through the medium of thesplined arm 19", by engagement with the set. screws 19". The object ofthis'ar'rangement is to provide a slight lostmotion at this point toprevent y above described, is effected only when the main lever isthrown to high speed position.

This rocks the clutch spindle in a counter-` clockwise direction,according to. the showing in Figurev 10, or in a clockwise direction,accordingto the showing in. Figure 11, thus throwing the clutch 41 intointermeshing engagement with its companion clutch 41a, fastened to ltheworm gear'tlb, which is constantly` driven so long as the centrifugal isrunning by reason o f the speed-reducing pinions 33, 34a, and theworm-drive connection. The rotation of the timer-shaft is comparativelyrslow. Having reference to Figure 9; thev swell 45d, on the outertimerring, after a predetermined are of rotation, according to itsadjustment, engages the dog G0, forcing down Lthe latch 60 intoengagement with its stop member 6l, so that the sprayer-valve is openedand maintained in opened position until the swell 47, on the innermostring 47, engages the trip' lever 62 and disengages ythe latch 60 fromstop G1 to allow the valve to close under the tension of spring 57".

It 'will be understood` that the return spring 43 of the timer, is beingwound up under gradually increasing teison as the timer revolves duringits active period. When the clutch is released or knocked off,

the spring acts to return the/tnnerlshaft-to zeroorsstartingposition'against a stop, as

best shown in Figure 10, which comprises a pivotal stop-dog mounted onthe timerframe or casing o', liavingits outer end projecting outward,and carrying a buffer 65a of rubber or the like to engage a co-operatingarm 66, projecting from and secured to the hub of the timer-head. 'Ihestop' dog 65 is pivoted instead of being rigidly secured to the casing,in order to permit the free revolution of the head in adirection to iwind up the spring. lAs the rearV face of the projecting end of thestop-dog 65 is beveled,

,the dog easily yields when the stop abutment v66 strikes it from therear to allow the stop abutment to pass by. The gravity of the longerarm of the dog 65v tends to keep it in horizontal position since itsinner end abuts against a fixed stop or rib 67 on the casing.

Obviously, the circumferential spacing between the swells 45d and 47will determine the duration of the period of spraying, and it will beequally clear that the circumferential adjustment of the member 45ddetermines the duration of` the sprayingperiod. The circumferentialdistance of the member l 45d, from thedog 60, in its elevated positionyfrom the starting or initial point of the timer, determines theduration of the purging period following the setting of the main lcvertohigh speed position.

What I claim is: y

1. In a centrifugal apparatus, the combination with a centrifugal andits driving means, of a starting lever adapted to be shifted to normaloperative position at the will of the operator, a sprayer, a controllerset in operation by the movement of said lever to operative position,said controller having three adjustable elements acting respectively tostart and to stop the sprayer after predetermined but variableintervals, and to shift the lever to idle position to allow thecentrifugal to stop.

2. A starting and stopping mechanism for a centrifugal embracing apivotal lever movable to starting position against spring tension, aninterconnected brake actuated by spring tension to be set to brake thecentrifugal when the lever returns to idle position, means for retainingthe lever in different positions to impart diflerent speeds of rotationto the centrifugal without allowing the brake to set at either speed,and means for automatically releasing the lever from normal operativeposition after a predetermined period to stop the centrifugal.

3. Automatically releasable starting means for a centrifugal r.embracingin association with two speed driving means, a pivotal lever,lever-positioning and holding means by which the lever is retained atone or more uintermediate positions between its extreme positionQfiidleness and of full speed, and means whereby the lever, whenreleased from its full speed position, is permitted to return to idlepositions without being arrested in any intermediate position.

4. Automatically releasable starting mechanism for a centrifugalembracing in combination a pivotal starting lever movable from idle tofull speed positlons'against ielding resistance tending to ret-urn it toi le osition, a detent carried by said lever an arranged to engageadjacent sto shoulders in the adjacent frame to hold it 1n someintermediate position, means for automatically engaging said detent withone of said stop shoulders as the lever is moved toward startingposition, said means also acting to prevent said detcnt from engagingeither stop shoulder on its return movement to idle position.

5. In an automatically controlled centrifugal apparatus, the combinationof a starting element movable by hand from idle position to normaloperative position against yielding resistance tending to return it toidle position, a brake and a motor switch, operatively interconnectedwith said starting element, to be moved to idle position and tocircuit-closing position respectively by the movement of the startingelement from idle to operative position, means for releasably lockingthe starting element. against return to idle position, and means drivenby the centrifugal for releasing said locking means after apredetermined period.

6. Iii an automatically controlled centrifugal apparatus, thecombination of a starting element adapted to be moved from idle tooperative position against a yielding and adjustable resistance tendingto return said starting element to idle position, a brake operativelyconnected with said lever to beset to braking position when the startingelement is moved to idle position and to be released when the startingelement is moved away from idle position, a motor switch arranged toclose in succession low speed and high speed motor energizing circuitsby the movement of the starting element and timing means arranged torelease the lever from high speed position.

7. In a motor driven centrifugal apparatus, the combination of a pivotalstarting lever movable manually to operative position, a detent forreleasably locking it in said position, a brake, a switch for closinglow speed and high speed circuits of the driving motor, a common springacting to move said' lever to idle position and set said spring and opensaid switch, and timer means `connected with said detent to act after apredetermined and variable period to release said detent and allow saidspring to open the switch and set the brake.

8. In an automatically controlled centrifugal apparatus, the combinationwith av ceiitrifugal, of means for manually starting and automaticallystopping the centrifugal, a sprayer, a rotary timing controller drivenby a releasable connection with the centrifugal, said timer havingcircumferentially adjustable members for turning on the spray aft-cr apredetermined interval following the starting of the centrifugal, forstopping the spray and for stopping the centrifugal and releasing itsown driving connection with the centrifugal` respectively, and means forreturning the timing controller to initial position when its operat-iveconnection with the centrifugal is released.

9. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and its associateddriving motor and brake, a startinglever movable at will against theresistance of a return spring and having operative connections with thebrake and with the starting switch of the motor, a sprayer, a timer forstarting and stopping the sprayer, a timer starting element actingtoretain the aforesaid starting lever in its operative position, saidtimer starting element beingl itself releasable by the action of thetimer to stop the centrifugal at a 'predetermined interval after thesprayer has been stopped.

10. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and associateddriving motor and brake, a two-speed motor controlling switch combinedwith brake-actuating means, both movable to centrifugal operatingposition against resistance of a return spring, a sprayer, a timercontrolling the starting and stopping of the sprayer while thecentrifugal is running, timer starting means acting to prevent thereturn of the switch and brake to centrifugal non-operatiiig positionuntil the timer starting means is itself released by the timer.

11. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and associatedtwo-speed driving means and brake, a starting element movable by theoperator against resistance of a return spring to first and secondpositions in succession, said starting element having connection withthe brake to unset the brake before the starting element reaches eitherspeed driving position, a sprayer, a. timer controlling tlie startingand stopping of the sprayer at predetermined intervals after startingthe centrifugal, a timer starting element arranged to prevent the returnspring from acting to cause the stopping of the centrifugal and beingitself released by the timer after the sprayer has stopped to allow thestopping of the centrifugal.

l2. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and associateddriving and braking means, a starting element having actuatingconnection with said driving means and with said brake and movable tobrake unsetting position before reaching operative driving position,means acting to return the starting element from normal centrifugalopera-ting position to initial non-operating and brake setting position.a sprayer, a sprayer controlling timer and means for starting said timerin action when the centrifugal starting element reaches normal operatingposition, said timer staitiiig element acting also to prevent the returnof said starting element to non-operating position until the timerstarting element is itself released.

13. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and associateddriving motor and brake, a starting member operatively combined with themot-or switch and with the brake and movable to centrifugal operatingposition, a sprayer, timing means for starting and stopping the sprayerat prede.

termined intervals during the operation of the centrifugal, meansrendered operative by the timing means for returning the starting memberto centrifugal stopping position, and means released by the timer forrestoring 4the timer toits initial position.

14. In combination with a sugar purifying centrifugal and an associateddriving motor l and starting switch, means for returning the switch toopen circuit position, a sprayer, clutch driven timing Ameans forstarting and stoppinl the spra er at predetermined inl 6 tervalsllowingt estarting of the centrifugal, means for shifting said clutch tooperative driving position when the switch is EUGENE ROBERTS

